Fans of Hit the Lights and Four Year Strong may be in for a treat with City Lights’ In It to Win It. This Ohio based pop-punk band does not fall short with mixing in heavy beats, loads of guitar riffs and an entire album full of angst-driven lyrics to go with it; just the recipe that most fans of pop-punk have come to love.  

The album could do without the Intro, which sounds too heavy and out of place for the otherwise fun, poppy album. Though most of this album seems to be based upon girl problems, there are nice changes in subject with songs like “I Made a Song on Garage Band and All I Got was This Lousy Record Deal” and “Where You’ve Been,” where lead singer Oshie croons “one day your life will flash before your eyes / so make sure it’s worth watching.” These two songs (laced with positive and motivating lyrics) are easily the tracks that stand out the most on In It to Win It, along with the acoustic version of “Lawnmower” which offers a tinge of sweetness to its alternative version on the record.

Unfortunately City Lights sounds a little too warped tour ready and a band that would have no problem blowing up had this been 2002. Sure, In It to Win It is an okay pop-punk album, but there is nothing that sets it apart from any other generic pop-punk album out there right now, and it feels a little over played. 

Photo courtesy of altpress.com